See below for the concept, a mashup of Second Life, Minecraft and Animal Crossing.
Quite possibly the days of filling stadiums and arenas are over. Which creates a huge gap in the human need (for many) to revel in tribal activities en masse.
It isn’t just being present at such events that matters, or being around like-minded people. It is the feeling that in some, even very small way, that your presence makes a difference. Your part in the cheering helps your team score a goal, or the lead singer acknowledges the crowd. Your singing along makes you part if the music, and that goal was influenced slightly by you.
So the solution is not using VR to make it seem like you are there in the stadium. That is not participatory . In theory speakers could be placed in stadium so each participant is heard by the players, so that could perhaps be tested.
Otherwise, real world replacements are unlikely, so we must go online.
Unaffected by COVID-19 are multi-player video games like Fortnite. This fit criteria for tribal event participation, and even let you be there with a friend, who you can chat with. There have even been concerts held within Fortnite, although players are not influencing the performance in any way, which is most likely pre-recorded. Maybe Fortnite could incorporate player feedback coming in via the headsets, for performers to respond to?
Instead of replacing sports and entertainment in the digital realm, we could simulate all aspects of living, with an actual simulation of life like Second Life attempted, and Animal Crossing is currently succeeding with.
Second Life failed because it was too open, and it involved a currency. Animal Crossing is overly scripted, and not open enough, not enough individuality for players.
Here’s an outline of what I believe will work. Keep in mind this is digital, so can evolve.
The Town
Towns have a maximum of 3,000 people. When you first arrive the population could be anywhere between 0 and 3,000. Premium subscribers might be able to be guaranteed being in the first 200. Allocation is based on your preferred timezone (choose carefully if you are a shift worker).
Towns start completely blank, but with landscape features, just like Minecraft. Unlike Minecraft, nothing can be removed, except by who built it, or by the system due to inactivity of the player.
The town includes farmland and a river, a town hall and square, an arena, and interesting perimeters of ocean, mountains or desert. The town is not on an island.
Every town starts exactly the same, with only the perimeters varying, and they are visual only, not interactive.
Pieces of land are in a fixed pattern, same pattern for every town. The pieces of land are not necessarily square, but not necessarily not square either. They will fit in with the landscape.
All properties will be completely surrounded by easements, which are public property, and can be traversed. Those easements most heavily traversed will become paved, and if people stop using them, they revert to dirt.
Once a town is full, any unclaimed land – there will always be plenty – is randomly filled with public land like parks and forests.
Every completed town gets a sacred animal, like India has sacred cows. These animals can wander around and do their thing. If it is a goat, make sure you fence everything!
Nature and seasons are a major part of gameplay. Disasters like floods and fires, although rare, do happen.
Player Characters
Avatar faces are over-sized, like most cartoon characters.
Your avatar can be one of several species, each of which has a unique ability. It has the same customisation possibilities of other popular games.
OR, your player can be human, and get all of the unique abilities. The only catch is that you must use your own face (body type is up to you). Your face will look like you precisely, with three exceptions which are customisable:
hair
skin
one facial feature of your choice
So, you can choose a new nose, new ears, new teeth… but just one of. The idea is that anyone who knows you should be able to recognise you.
Premium users can live in 2 different towns, if they wish, but with only one character. They cannot be in both places at once.
Players have robot clones of themselves, clearly marked placeholders that can be told to perform routine tasks while the player isn’t present. They can operate the business or farm, feed children, and be programmed with a temporary catchphrase.
Gameplay
Time is upside down and stretched. 6pm in real life is 6am in your town. 8am in real life is midnight. Between midnight and 6am in the game, all is frozen. Where you are at midnight is where you start at 6am.
You initially choose a role, such a shopkeeper, farmer, teacher, delivery driver, repairer. You can change role every 2 weeks, if you wish, but will lose experience points earned from that role, relative to how quickly you gave up. After 3 months in a role you cannot lose those points.
Everyone gets a business location and a home location. Early arrivals have more chance of making those locations adjacent. Your role dictates where you can build, and the tools you can build with. For example, your home cannot have a cash register, and your bakery cannot have a bed.
Just like the real world, your buildings can be designed however you wish, but there are zones and restrictions. Homes cannot exceed 2 stories, but can gave a basement, for example.
Construction will be just like Minecraft. Anything newly built or changed will be greyed out and not usable for 3 days.
You can have make friends in the game, simply enter their username and they verify they know you. You can use this process to find your own real world friends. You can visit them, and you can ask to be in the same town as them, if a place is/becomes available.
After 3 months you can choose to move to a new town. It is randomly chosen. Your points carry with you. You will be given a role, rather than choosing.
Or you can swap places with someone in your town – straight swap of home and business.
There will be a limit on friendships. Dominating a town will not be possible.
Players can visit other towns as tourists whenever they want. They can converse with locals, and interact with businesses. They can’t take anything to/from other lands except themselves. If looking for real world friend, they have to ask people for directions – streets don’t have names!
Visitor numbers are limited.
Travel is by teleport. The teleport pad is in the middle of the town square, where all new townsfolk also arrive.
You play for points! Experience points. Points have advantages:
- avatar customisation
- building items, like swimming pools
- fancy cars
- able to run for public office, or stage events
- ability to share a life/business
The latter is a bit out there. Every player can invite one other player (with sufficient points), to work with them in their business, or have a room in their house (and look after the same kids).
Just like in real life we have can business partners and romantic partners. The person who invites, can remove the other at any time, if they choose.
Politics! The types of decisions and votes are limited, but fun. For example, polygamy could be allowed. Or there may be an emergency that needs dealing with, like a pandemic, with choices of lockdown or herd immunity.
Business Model ideas
Freemium – say 10 hours per month for ad-supported use, while to play more you need to pay, but you receive credits for any ad revenue that you generate.
Ads could appear anywhere they would in the real world – sides of buildings, billboards, video screens.
Buildings or events could be sponsored.
Credits could be used for customisations, like skins in Fortnite.
Additional Thoughts
Some towns could be specifically for people who identify as being a particular age, relationship status, sexual identity, language or religion
Real world activity could be reflected to some degree. For example if you are listening to music in real life, your avatar could have headphones on, and a message showing what you are listening to